To date, much of the information Adobe has shared with us relative to the adoption of Digital Publishing Suite for the digital publication of magazines has been somewhat anecdotal.  But now, according to Schambers-Lenox, there is external data that is beginning to show that publishers are achieving real results.  She says, “According to the Alliance for Audited Media, digital circulations for magazines more than doubled from 2011 to 2012 from 1% to 2.4%.”

While doubling is good, the percentages are still low. But it bears digging a little deeper into the data to see what this really means. One of the key metrics for publishers is whether or not they can monetize their content.  This has been an ongoing struggle, and publishers have been experimenting with various models.

As I cited in an earlier article, The Economist offers subscribers the opportunity to subscribe to a digital version of the magazine, a printed version, or a combination of the two.  Digital and print versions are priced exactly the same, while there is an incremental charge if the subscriber wants both print and digital.  This approach firmly shifts the focus from the medium to the value of the content.